21-year-old Singaporean swimmer Joseph Schooling stunned the world when he won gold in the men’s 100m butterfly division of swimming beating his idol Michael Phelps along with seven other competitors.
It would have been Phelps’ fourth gold medal in the Rio 2016 Olympics (and his 23rd overall) but Schooling snagged it, winning the first ever gold medal for his home country of Singapore.
His win also made him the first ever Southeast Asian male gold medalist in the Olympic Games.
The young athlete’s success story has fascinated many. Recently, Singapore-based company Singtel released a video which shed more light into Joseph’s upbringing. It featured his nanny, who he fondly calls Aunty Yolly, and how he lovingly raised him for 19 years.
According to The Straits Times, 56-year-old Auntie Yolly is a Filipino whose full name is Yolanda Pascual.
Watch the touching tribute below.
Learn more about Aunty Yolly on the next page
In the interview with The Straits Times, Yolly shared how she so overcome with happiness that she shed tears watching him win big at the Rio 2016 Olympic games.
Joseph grew up dreaming to become like Michael Phelps and Yolly rooted him on every step of the way.
screengrab: Youtube
“He’ll always say ‘I want to be No. 1’. I remember once we were watching (Michael) Phelps on TV, he told me he wanted to be there and be like him, and I knew he could do it. He has a very strong will; if he wants something, he’ll get it,” Yolly shared in the interview.
screengrab: Youtube
When the time came when Joseph had to leave for the United States to study, Yolly missed him terribly.
“When I miss him, I read our messages (on the phone). He’s like my own son,” Yolly, who is also a mom of two, said in the interview.
She also witnessed the young athlete’s sacrifices, often prioritizing practice over going out with friends.
“He told me when he was very tired, and I’d give him a massage,” she recounted. “Even now, when he comes back, he still asks for massages and he’s still like the young boy he was before he left.”
screengrab: Youtube
“I don’t think I could have a better second mom or nanny by my side to help me through all this,” said Joseph in the touching video.
READ: 8 Ways parenting is just like the olympic games
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